Should You Rebrand Your Salon?

You may know that we recently rebranded our WHOLE business.

Its been quite a journey from a simple Facebook page 5 years ago with my face looming at the top, to a HUGE community, tons of resources and quite a standing in the industry.

We simply had to shake things up – because it had got a bit bland, stagnant and well, boring to be honest.

The thing is, something as simple as your name, your logo, your colours, can be the hooking point – or the barrier – for a new or potential client.

We ‘connect’ with the brands we choose.

And whilst, often, we like to connect on a deeper level and find businesses that reflect what we think and feel, we have to get through the branding gateway before we even get to see what their values are.

I was extremely lucky when I launched my spa as I had been recommended an excellent graphic designer to come and plan all my ‘visual’ stuff.

Now, this particular guy, we shall call him J, was incredibly difficult to deal with.  He blabbered on about irrelevant rubbish for at least 80% of our time together.  He told me far too personal info about his life (including women stuff).  I knew his life story inside out.  And he always stared at my boobs.

BUT, he has incredible vision.

And he taught me that you should really invest in your design at the very beginning because it will stand the test of time IF you have a strong brand to start with.

The logo he designed for me is the logo I have used for the last 10 years – and will continue to be.

He’s moved abroad now and no longer actively designs for me – but his design influences are visible throughout my website and print work, design and décor.

He cost me a fortune, and I almost threw his Mac at him on a number of occasions when he told me about his trip to Miami when he was 19 and ‘discovering the ladies’ for the 47^th time, but he was worth it!

Now, I didn’t really heed my own advice when I started this brand – as, to be honest, I wasn’t sure where it would go.

I wasn’t really sure anyone would wanna hear what little old me had to say.

In fact, it was Ryan that encouraged me to start this business – suggesting that someone who made loads of profit, in a massive spa, won loads of awards, only works two days a week AND did it all without a clue about the beauty industry might have something to say – and I kind of just went along with it.

Slowly, people started to tell me though, that the what I was writing and talking about was helping them.

So I wrote a course.

And it helped loads of people.

So, I wrote another one.

And it helped more people.

And eventually, Ryan sold his business, and jumped on board to catapult the business forward.

And whilst we were flying high, we were dragging our average branding along with us.

So, it was time to REBRAND!

It wasn’t cheap.  It wasn’t quick.  It wasn’t a totally ‘heated debate’ free.  But we got there!

And now, our brand reflects who we are not who we used to be.

And if someone sees our brand and thinks ‘I don’t like that name’ or ‘I hate their colours or ‘I hate Hollie’s hair’ (wouldn’t be the first time) then I KNOW they just aren’t my crew!

And that’s totally cool!

So, when we appear on someone’s Facebook feed now, we know what we show is a mirror of us.

If someone says ‘you should check out Ryan and Hollie from Salonology’ we know our brand stands up to support us.

Yes it’s been a pain in the bum, but its sooooo worth it – because the brand was not strong enough before.

So let me ask you.

Is your brand strong enough?

Do you proudly tell people the name of your salon?

Do you LOVE seeing your logo on your brochures?

Do you happily pass out a business card when you meet your dream client?

Does your brand not only reflect where you are at, but also where you are going?

Awesome if it does.

But if not, it could be time to think about shaking things up.  It’s great for marketing too as it’s a great way to reconnect with your clients, get interaction from them and boost your brand.